VERMILLION, S.D. - Miles Bergner, the Coyotes' leading scorer during the last two-plus seasons, earns fewer than 15 plays on the field most Saturdays. If he makes the Sunday paper, he's either done something heroic or villainous, which being a theatre major probably relates to him well. Truth be told, outside of the quarterback, the kicker may be the toughest role to play in football.

"Everybody wants to be the kicker during the week, but nobody wants to be the kicker on Saturday or Sunday," said Bergner. "I embrace that. Kicking is really a mental game. If you make a mistake, everyone is going to notice and you only get so many opportunities to try."

The numbers would tell you Bergner has been successful more often than not. A year ago, he was one miss(ed call) away from the most perfect season in FCS history. He made 16 straight field goals heading into the final game, 18 in a row if you went back to 2013, and 22 straight if you don't count one that was blocked. Against South Dakota State, he had a short 25-yard field goal ruled wide right even though a replay proved the kick good. It cost him a spot in the FCS record book.

"I shouldn't have left it to chance, but I thought it was good," said Bergner, who had a sense of humor about it. "Jay Elsen showed me the replay on the sideline. I'm not sure (the official) looked up."

In addition to place-kicking duties, Bergner handles punts and kickoffs. He averages better than 41 yards per punt and has the 10^th-best career average among active FCS players. He has had as many touchbacks through three games this season (8) as he had all of last season.

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Bergner grew up in Longmont, Colo., a city of about 90,000 people that rests about 13 miles from Boulder. His father, Bruce, is the associate professor of theatre design & technology at University of Colorado which is where Miles' theatre major comes from.

"I helped my dad out when I was younger," said Bergner. "We would work on summer stock shows. He would take me with him and I would help him paint sets and build them. It was a lot of fun.

"I do lighting and sound design, the other side of his work. We are more of a tandem now."

Bergner originally wanted to explore criminal justice when he arrived to USD, but took an intro to theatre class his freshman year that reignited his passion for set design. He switched his major to theatre after one semester.

"I really enjoy the work," said Bergner. "I get to do all these things I love doing. It's a lot of hands-on stuff. I get to build things, flip lights on and off, and change their color."

Bergner's favorite play is How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. When pressed on his acting skills, Bergner joked he's not a performer unless he has pads and a helmet on.

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He is asked a lot, but no, Bergner is not a former soccer player. He took to kicking in junior high when he was labeled too big to carry the football. He thought it was great to score points, but knew he wasn't going to make it as a quarterback. His passion turned to kicking as he headed to high school.

"I got benched twice," said Bergner. "I was the worst punter imaginable. I was way too inconsistent. It wasn't until my senior year that I learned how to punt properly and that's when it changed."

Bergner had success kicking through high school, but knew he would be a better asset to a college team if he could punt as well. He attended Kohl's kicking, punting and snapping camp in Wisconsin, the same one that labeled current Coyote snapper Brandon Godsey a five-star recruit. The camp helped.

"I had offers that were kicking based, offers that were punting based and both," said Bergner. "Ultimately, South Dakota made me my first offer and I ended up taking it."

Bergner was originally slated to just punt his freshman year at South Dakota, but turned into a combo player almost immediately when kicker Kevin Robb chose not to return for one more season. The 2015 campaign is the third for Bergner, who has 31 field goals and scored 143 points to this point.

Bergner's idols remain Green Bay kicker and former Colorado Buffaloes star Mason Crosby, which is where No. 16 comes into play, and four-time Super Bowl winner Adam Vinatieri. It was Vinatieri's clutch kicks in the Super Bowl that inspired Bergner to the position.

Notes:
-Bergner hit a collegiate-best 50-yard field goal against Youngstown State last year
-He made a 55-yarder in high school
-South Dakota's record is 54 yards
-Bergner has made good from 66 yards in the Dome in practice